The Brightest Night
by lShadowBeaml
Summary: The Princess of the Night feelt that there was no one else out there that appreciated the night as it desserved. Is there anypony who could prove her wrong? (Proofread by ScarlettRose94)
1. Chapter 1- The Perfect Night I

**_"No one is alone in the world"_**

The soft breeze brushed my mane as the Moon gracefully raised over the horizon under my command. Stars starting to show themselves on the now darkened sky. It was a beautiful night, not that the rest of them weren't lovely as well, but this one was specially gorgeous, and also very opportune. There was not even one lonely cloud in the sky and the blend between the temperature and winds was perfect for a gratifying flight, and thanks to the annual restoration of statues, paintings and artifacts that swarmed the castle, the night court wasn't going to be held that day.

It was my opportunity.

After my recent return, my inclusion to Equestria's lead along my sister was rushed. After mere few days I was already needed in trials, meetings, courts and the list goes on and on. Being reunited with Tia once again was indescribably wonderful, but still, the weight abruptly dropped over my shoulders was exhausting to say the least. Also, the hesitation shown by a few subjects about my "reformation", therefore convincing my sister of the need to protect me against any possible treat, clearly didn't help at all. A delightful trip to the outside without an escort two feet away was what I needed, a chance to see closely how much ponies lives changed, to be capable of maybe connect with them.

After analyzing the situation and cautiously choosing my words I would use, I left my room and headed to Celestia's. With a barely visible nod I regarded the guards in front of the door, their pose rigid and expression neutral as usual, only broken for a brief second to return the salutation with the same gesture.

I shifted towards the doors and knocked a few times, hoping for my sister to still be awake.

"Come in." I heard Celestia's voice coming from the room. Using my magic I took hold of the knob and slowly slipped inside the room. My sister was sitting on the bed, a wide smile drawn over her tired expression.

She stood on her hooves and faced me. "Oh, Luna, I was already going to bed. What is it that you need?" She wearily asked .

I opted to get to the point as quick and simple as possible, every time I tried to conceal intentions behind pretty words Celestia somehow managed to read me. Call it a sibling advantage if you may, although it wasn't truly an advantage in my situation. "Sister, I hath completed all the royal duties requested for the night, and haven't felt any distress coming from the dream world, so..." I started to feel a lump forming in my throat, obstructing every word I tried to come out.

_I hope she doesn't get upset._

"Something wrong, dear sister?" Tia added with a concerned look as she slowly gaited closer.

I took a deep breath and exhaled it, moving my foreleg to imitate an in-out motion. A little trick my niece Cadence taught me to calm the nerves. "Doth not worry, everything's fine." I waved it off. "I came by because I wanted to ask thee something..." The apprehension of being scolded by Celestia for 'placing myself in a potentially dangerous situation' (As she said herself in a couple of occasions) incapacitating me from uttering complex sentences. "If thou..." I repeated the exercise. [i]Quick and simple Luna, quick and simple.[/i] "If thou could let me go out and enjoy its perfection... Without any sort of escort whatsoever." I sputtered.

Instead of berating me, she just widened her eyes and glanced around with a small frown. "Luna, you know I just send those guards because I'm worried about you. Remember that since being brought back by the elements you aren't as strong as before. You need more time."

I gave her a reassuring smile, of course I was elated to know how much my sister cared about my well being, but even after living a thousand years longer than I did in Equestria she seemed to forget the fact that we weren't just regular ponies. "I understand, and I am very grateful, but weakened or not, I'm an alicorn princess. I think I can take care of myself"

Celestia took a moment, carefully contemplating my words. She paced her gaze from the ground to me and vice versa, before concluding her muse with a sigh of defeat. "I suppose you're right about that Luna. You may go out, but please, be careful and don't take too long." Her last words accompanied by a mildly stern look.

I disregarded completely her grimace as my excitement bursted out to the outside on it's full glory. _YES! SHE SAID YES!_

"Thank you so much big sister!" I squealed as I squeezed her in an embrace, a gleeful grin crowning my expression. Before she could even respond I was already on my way out. I hastly ran towards the balcony and leaped over the rail, feeling the wind going through my flowing mane as I plumet. Before reaching the ground I released my wings and started hovering over the landscape, pondering about what I could do next to make the most of the time I had.

As I glid through the sky above the city, I realized something. Something that brought back old, and yet so familiar feelings. There was not a single soul on the streets. Everyone stayed in their houses as usual, nopony caring to even reward such a beautiful night with a awed glare, or even a smile. I felt so... lonely all of sudden.

Any hope still lingering within quickly faded into sorrow as the same scenario was presented before me in every town and village. Every pony whom was still awake was either rushing towards their home or busy. "One thousand years have passed, and still I'm stucked in the same situation."

After checking in Ponyville to once again be dissapointed, I hovered towards a huge rock and sat on it, letting myself ponder about why still nothing had changed. After several minutes had passed, I gloomily decided to fly back home. Sluggshly, I stood on my four hooves and launched myself in the air. Mere moments later I was already soaring over the Everfree Forest. Before reaching it's borders, something catched my attention. A motionless figure laying on the grass in the middle of the forest.

Gingerly I scanned the area to detect any possible threats, and when I found none, I slowly approached the ground.

Stepping closer, I finally was able to make out what the mysterious shape was. [i]What is that pony doing here?[/i]. A stallion, to be precise. Judging by his immobile state, either he was sleeping, or, considering his surroundings, wounded. I warily walked towards him fearing the worst, only to release a profound sigh of relief as I saw the steady motion of breathing on his chest. [i]Thanks Celestia, he's al-[/i]

_*crack*_

I had stepped over a twig on the ground, and as soon as the sound was heard, the stallion was already fleeing through the trees.

"Wait!" I tried to call, but he was long gone.

_He must be disoriented, I should call the guard to find him..._

A putrid stink strayed me from my thoughts as it invaded my nostrils. I had to cover my muzzle with a hoof to soothe the piercing stench.

Wasting no time, I prepared to leave with haste to warn the guard about the supposedly lost pony. After stretching out my wings at their full lenght with the purpose of taking off as fast as possible, I heard the sound of grass being repeatedly stomped upon.

I didn't have time to react I was atacked from behind, harshly hammering my head against a boulder that laid on the floor. I felt a horrid pain in my head as I noticed blood leaking from the wound and streaming down my face. Struggling with the weight on my back, I tried to stand up only to feel the most unfathomable pain I had ever went through. Both my wings, now soaked in blood, were being chewed by two hideous creatures that resembled wolves, although composed purely from wood. Soon enough I realized that the beasts on my back weren't the only ones who made their acquaitance, a handful of them had already surrounded me.

The realization of what was happening took me to the most desperate state I've ever were predators, and right now, hopeless, I was their prey. Without any success I tried to fight them back, writhing, franticly launching my hooves in every direction with the distant hope of freeing myself. And to aggravate even more the situation, I was in such a frenzied and pained state that I couldn't concentrate enough to use my magic.

Sorrow. Remorse. Dread. Guilt. **Fear**, There're no words to describe everything that crossed through my mind during those hideous moments. "_I can't do anything! No! No! No!_" The mere thought of my sister receiving the bad news made me feel awful, she would've thought that she was the responsible of my passing.

As my weakened body gave up on the fight and any hope of escape vanished, two beams of magic flew throught the air upon me. The weight over my back instatly dissapeared as the beasts that were ravaging my wings were consumed into a pile of scorced twigs and sticks. The remainder of the pack quickly adopted a defensive stance, but soon enough they cowered in total fright as tens of stones were launched to their location. The beasts had no time to flee as the stones crashed upon them, sending them all to oblivion.

Noticing that the threat had been dealt with, I tried to stand up, miserably falling down on my hooves right after. I was so drained that I was barely able to move.

When the adrenalin that kept me conciouss finally consumed, the real pain showed up. It was undoubtedly the most abominable and nauseating sensation that I'd ever felt in the entirety of my years.

My eyes started clossing, darkness invading my vision. I couldn't fight it, I was passing out. The pain, exhaustion and bleeding were absolutely insufferable, getting to the point where I wasn't even able to hold my craned neck anymore, therefore leting my head drop numb on the ground.

I raised my glare one last time, A set of hooves hastily coming towards me, and then...

Everything was black.


	2. Chapter 2- The Perfect Night II

I started gaining conciousness, although as strange as it sounds, I wasn't able to move an inch. Essentially, I was paralized. The dizziness quickly faded away and got replaced by a bothersome soreness over my whole body. My wings felt stiff and very awkward, as if something was holding them against my sides. Trying to analize my current condition, I noticed that I was laying on a soft surface, a bed. Well, it wasn't _soft_, considering that it was the most unbelievably uncomfortable matress I had ever slept on, at least during my time in Equestria, but much to my relief it certainly wasn't a hole on the ground or a sack filled with rocks. _Why am I here? What is this place?_

Then it hit me. The memories of the recent events swarmed my still befuddled mind. _There was a pony, he ran away and I was ambushed by fierce beasts._ As I struggled to finally solve the puzzle, I realized that my body was, though in a lethergic manner, responding at my will. My eyes slowly opened. Everything was blurry, the only distinguishable component of my obscure surroundings being a dim light, a dark shape obstructing a portion of its faint shimmer. After frantically rubbing both my eyes with my hooves, I was once and for all able to see clearly.

I was inside a cave. The dim light originated on the entrace, and the offending shape was, once again, that mysterious stallion. To my surprise, he was remarkably larger than I thought, actually, he seemed to be even larger than me. His coat was a dull grey, almost black, and his sloppy mane was sheer white. Regarding his behaviour, it was quite intriguing. He only kept staring outside, completely motionless. Something was seizing his whole interest. It even looked like he wasn't even breathing.

Eventually the expectation of any reaction from him faded, thus I gradually uprooted my gaze from the unusual fellow and focused on the remaining portion of the apparent shelter.

The first think that stricked me was the writing on the walls. Countless words, letters, expressions, drawings covering almost the whole entirety of the wall, being written using a wide selection of small peddles that were nicely organized across the floor . The words and characters were continuously repeated multiple times, one aside the other. Some of them seemed to be purposed to help to improve, or to maintain a decent grammar, and others looked like mementos of some sort. Next, there were the drawings, these being meticulously depicted over a darker portion of the rock. To my bewilderbent, they portrayed several creatures, plants and literal monsters, each one seconded by even more notes that presented various lists of traits, possible uses, among other things of the sort. My glare kept stirring over the long hall of scribbled rock before another conjuction of simbols caught my interest. Hundreds of lines were displayed inside a bordered space to discern from the rest of the scrawling. The lines were organized in separated groups of four vertical lines crossed by a horizontal one. It didn't take long to notice its purpose, it was a calendar. And judging by the large amount of marks, whoever drew it must've been living here for a remarkably long time.

Being consumed by sheer intrigue, I genuinely considered to stand up and count every little line. Apparently, the mere idea of moving was able to bring back the niggling sore on my back and wings, so I decided, although apprehensively, to check the damage. If my mind wasn't betraying me, the beasts almost had chewed my wings off.

The first thing I noticed was that my regalia was gone. _It must've fallen off during the atack_. I shifted my gaze over my sides, and to my relief, there were barely any signs of blood, even when the size of the wounds were horribly large if I recalled correctly. All the cuts and bruises they were carefully cleaned and sanitized. Bandages composed of some leaves, herbs and vines, along with a stick to keep the wings stiff in their place covered my whole torso. Also, considering that most of my wounds partially sealed, I concluded that I had been slept for a whole day. _Celestia's going to shave me for this..._. Lowering my gaze I found out that I was laying over a pile of hay held together by a some twigs and sticks tied together to resemble a normal bed.

Once again I shifted my gaze over the stagnant stallion. According to all the hints I could muster and sheer logic it was obvious that he lived there, and that he'd for a long time. It was also obvious that it was him who saved me from those beasts before and the one who healed me.

Realizing I was continuously rambling in my thoughts instead of spitting a single word, I forced myself to ignore the pain as best as I could and speak. "Hello." I muttered, half expecting the stallion to be sleeping on his current pose.

He lifted his ears and slowly turned his head, staring at me with a semblance that I could only describe as a mix between fright and sheer surprise. Now having his faces turned on my direction, I was able to make out the rest of his features. A unicorn with blue eyes and... white marks on his face. One over his snout, a rectangle with 3 triangles on top, and another one, a triangle at the side of his eyes. He also had another square shaped one on his chest. I'd never seen a pony with marks like those before, it was quite strange. Even after several seconds he still continued with his inquisive look, not sparing a single word.

Soon enough I realized why he was looking at me in such a way, it was because he couldn't see in the dark as well as I. "Apologies." I said with a nod, proceeding by casting a basic light spell. As soon as the emanating shimmer of my horn lightened the cave and my frame became totally visible for him he adopted the expression of someone who'd just seen a ghost.

It wasn't surprising, many ponies frighten when they're standing in front of a princess or nobles, especially when it comes to my sister and I. "Do not fret, we a-"

"Y-you're an alicorn? A p-princess?" He interrupted stammering, his eyes focusing on my gleaming horn.

I tried to find any hint of a jest on his expression, but I perceived none. "But of couse we art. How is it possible that thee didn't realizest before?" I bemusedly questioned whilst trying to raise from the mound of dried grass, only to stumble and start falling face-first to the ground. Unexpectedly, an ethereal force quickly snatched and placed me on the fodder just in time to prevent the smashing of the last wholesome portion of my body.

Even though manipulating a princess would be considered a crime worth of a season in the dungeons in most cases, after noticing his horrified grimace I decided to ignore it, giving him a reassuring nod to show that everything was okay.

"Thank thee for helping us, mister...?" I finished gesturing him with a hoof to end the sentence.

"Shadow... My name is Shadow Beam..." He hesitantly uttered raising his gaze inquisitively afterwards."If I may ask, your highness, what's your name? I didn't know about the existence of another princess besides Princess Celestia and her niece."

I didn't question him, but I was indeed flabbergasted at his oblivious behaviour. Regally craning my neck and closing my eyes with a pose I answered. "We are the ruler of the night and raiser of the Moon, Princess Luna."

After spending a handful of seconds in pure silence on the wait of an answer, I opened one eye to make sure that he was still there. His eyes were locked on the floor and a single hoof placed on his mouth, hinting that he was deeply musing over something. Both his eyes slowly widened until he left out a brusque gasp.

"Princess Luna...? I've read about her when I was studying. She was possessed by Nightmare Moon's spirit and then banished to the moon more than a thousand years ago... Did you escape...?" He bluntly retorted, a freightened tone at the end of the sentence.

The humongous calendar, the drawings, simbols and now his complete obliviousness about recent events. It was clear that, due to unknown reasons, Shadow lived here for a very, _very_ long time. The important question now was _how much and why_.

Wishing to leave the subject as fast as possible, I gave him a short version of the story. "To summarize it, a couple of months ago, still under the control of Nightmare Moon we returneth from our imprisonment. Thankfully Nightmare's wicked plans were quickly frustrated with the help of the elements of harmony, ones of the most powerful sources of magic in Equestria, and their new bearers. They didn't only erase the evil spirit from existance, but the magic of the elements was also able to bring me back to my former state." I explained, slightly amused at the noticeable relief of the hermit.

I cleared my throat. "So, now that all thine doubts hath been clarified, wouldst thou mind if we askest a couple of questions?"

He took a step back, concern starting to drift on his face. "W-what kind of questions?"

I went straight to the point. "Why and how long hath thee been living here? This place is too dangerous for a pony."

Upong hearing those words, his look of concern was instantly replaced with a somber expression. As he started turning back to the entrance of the cave, he opened his mouth. "I..." Tears subtly started forming on his now glazed eyes. Words seemed to get lost in his throat. Gloomily he shooked his lowered head, trudging to the same place he was sitting on earlier. Releasing a deep sigh, he leaned his body against the stone wall and locked his gaze upwards.

I had botched up badly. "We ask for thy forgiveness, We didn't know it would bother thee so much." I regretfully alleged.

He shooked his head. "It's just... It's been so long... I honestly never thought I would see somepony else ever again."

Considering my period of banishment, it would be an understatement to say that I wasn't empathetic of his situation. As much as I wanted to know why somepony would be dwelling in a cave inside one of the most hazardous places in Equestria, It was obvious that discussing about the matter was extremely despiriting for him. Hence, I tried to leave the topic for a quite trivial query that had been naggling me for a while.

"Don't worry, I wilst not press on with the subject." I supported my head on a hoof "However, if thou don't mind us asking. What were thee doing laying on the grass last night? We thought thou were asleep, but it sems like that's was not the case."

Immediately his head raised, energy visibly filling his body at the right words. He turned his head at me, now a faint smile on his face. "I was stargazing." The now rejuvenated stallion proudly replied.

A left out an enthusiastic smile. "Thou enjoyest stargazing?"

He took another glance at the sky. "I _love _stargazing. I always did, and ever since I got stuck in this place it was the only possible thing that could keep me from going insane." He snorted, growing a full grin. "Or maybe I'm already insane and stargazing just makes me happy. In each case I still take it." Given his sudden outburst of nonchalance I couldn't help myself but giggle.

Eagerly, he stepped closer and sat down in front of me. "Princess, would you like to stargaze too? If you want I can carry you and the straw closer to the entrance."

Matter-of-factly, I actually liked the idea. If I was bound to rest over an uneven pile of straw, at least the distracting beauty of the stars would help a lot to pass the time. However, the idea of being carried around wasn't something of my liking, but taking on account that my last attempt on walking was futile I didn't complain. Or at least not much.

"Is it really necessary to carry us?" I huffed.

Heartily chuckling, he approached and extended a hoof. "I wouldn't like you to smash your face on the ground. I was lucky the first time"

Wincing at the idea, I took hold of his hoof. "Very well then."

He lowered his head and placed my foreleg around his neck. As I clumsily attempted to stand up with his help, Shadow's magic took hold of the straw, smoothly swaying it in direction of the entrance, neatly placing the hay close to the edge of the cave afterwards. After a couple of failed attempts, I finally rose up at my full height.

Slowly and taking every possible precaution, he walked me over the entrance and placed me over the improvised mattress. From our angle we could now see a big portion of the sky. Sighing relaxedly, Shadow stretched out over the ground, his gaze locked on the stars.

"Fascinating, aren't they?" He whispered. "Every night since I got here I observed them excluding the stormy ones of course, the weather here can be a real ache."

Upon hearing 'every night' something felt a bit off. "What doth thou meaest by 'every night'? Don't thee sleep enough?"

"Oh, that." He shrugged. "Basically, my special talent is being nocturnal. It's kinda symbolized on my mark, which represents my aura as white simbols and the night as the black patch. Putting it mildly, my mind and body simply work better during night time. Therefore when I got stranded here I settled on sleeping during part of the day and staying awake through the rest of it." He clarified nonchalantly.

One of the most mysterious wonders of pony's magic was their talents. I always pondered about them. All being so diverse, so special. There were infinite posibilities of talents, only limited by the population. Truth be told, it was almost comical that precisely the pony who stumbled upon me, presumably the only one who was in this entire forest, held this specific gift.

I glared at him one last time, his mane was dropping over the right side of his face and his blue eyes were completely captivated by the black veil upon us. Smiling at his astonishment, I followed his steps and shifted my look over the silent spectacle.

Time swifted by, and the Moon dived on the horizon. Thankfully my sister was able to control both astros, for I was too weak to command the Moon that night. As the orange shimmer of the bright sun filled the skies and concealed the stars, the inexorable need to repose slowly invaded me.

"We shall sleep now, have a good rest." I announced as I nuzzled the straw.

Smiling, he replied. "Of course, sleep well Luna." As his words left his mouth he immediatly widened his eyes in apparent apprehension. "I-I mean Princess."

Diverted by his reaction, I decided to just shrugg it off. Truth be told, I was elated that someone finally avoided including my title. It felt more personal, more [i]me[/i]. Softly shaking my head I reinsured him that everything was alright. "Fret not, thou can callest us Luna if thou wishes."

Lowering my head, being now curled up against the welcome _less-hardness_ of the hay hump, I mused about the recent turn of events. But one thing stood out from everything else, and as the drowsiness invaded my mind, it was the last one that succumbed to its might.

The thought that maybe, just maybe, I made a friend.


	3. The Return

I woke up earlier than usual, there was a lot of time left before dusk. My sight took a few seconds to clear up and notice my surroundings. I was once again inside the cave, laying on the same bed where I woke up the other day. In front of me was a bowl filled with fruits. I glanced to the entrance and saw Shadow standing still, like he was doing guard duty.

I remembered what happened yesterday, and realized that I had fallen asleep there. "_Don't tell me that he carried me here again..."_

When I felt completely lucid I lifted from the bed and cleared my throat. His ears perked up and he turned to me. He stretched a slight grin. "Hey, did you sleep well?".

I gave a soft smile and nodded. "Indeed, thanks for asking." Recalling my actions last night, I changed my expression to an embarrassed one and asked. "If I may ask, Why didst I wake up here? I do not remember coming here."

He opened his mouth to answer, but instantly closed it. He started to continuously shift his gaze from the floor to me and vice versa. "Uh... I hope you don't get mad." I raised an eyebrow while he gulped and continued talking. "I woke up early thanks to a leaf that fell on my muzzle making me sneeze. I stood up and noticed that you were still asleep, even after that loud sneeze. I didn't want to wake you since you looked so serene, so I lifted you up with my magic, brought you here and then prepared some breakfast." We both glanced over the bowl and he chuckled. "Not royal-tier but it's the best you can get here, and you will need it if you want to heal quickly."

I grabbed an apple with my magic and levitated it to my mouth. Before taking the first bite I turned to him and asked politely. "Hast thou eaten already?" He tilted his head with a confused look. I guessed that my vocabulary was the cause of his response and sighed. "We're sorry. It is highly difficult for us to adapt to the modern ways of the language".

He widened his eyes and replied. "Don't worry about it, I understood what you said. I just got... a little distracted..." He shruged. "About the question, I didn't. I wasn't able to gather a lot and you needed it more, don't worry about it."

He was right about that, so I decided to not complain. I gave a wide grin. "Thank tho-I mean- you very much."

He gave a reassuring look. "You don't need to correct yourself, I don't mind your way of speaking." He closed his eyes and widen his smile. "Actually, it's very unique."

I was about to reply until a sound coming from the outside catched our attention. I approached the entrance of he cave and lifted my right ear to hear clearly. "Your Highness?!"

I rushed outside and instantly saw an armored pegasi flying over the forest. "_A royal guard...?_"

He saw me and landed in front of me. He bowed and spoke with a professional tone. "Your highness! Finally you appeared! Your presence is required in Canterlot, we must return at once." He glanced over my bandaged wings and widened his eyes. "Your highness, if I may ask. What happened?"

Eager to finally return to my home, I briefly responded. "It is a long story."

He shrugged it off. "I'll call a carriage." The guard lifted off the ground and started making gestures in a certain direction. Apparently he was communicating with other royal guards, since he gave a nod and descended. "The transport should be here soon."

I recalled that Shadow was still inside the cave. "Wait, we have to do something."

"_I should ask him to come with us, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be standing here right now."_

I rushed inside the cave. "Shadow?" I called. "We wanted to ask if thou would likest to come with us to Canterlot to celebrate your heroic acts."

There was no response.

"Shadow...?" There were no signs of him. It was like he vanished into thin air.

"_Where is he?" _I looked around a bit more. "_I should go look for-"_

_"_Your higness." The royal guard said from the outside. "The carriage has arrived, we must leave with haste, the forest is a dangerous place."

"But I-" I tried to counter.

He narrowed his eyes and stared directly at my eyes like he felt offended in some way. "Your sister, Princess Celestia, has been very worried about you."

I sighed. "_I guess I could try to find Shadow after showing Celestia that I'm alright."_

"Very well." I nodded and entered the carriage. As the pegasus guard lifted the the transport I couldn't help but feel worried about Shadow. I couldn't shift my gaze from the cave until the fog finally covered it from my sight.

It was a long trip back home, or at least it felt like that, since I couldn't stop thinking about Tia's reaction when she hears about the danger I had gone through. "_This won't be pretty._"

We arrived at dawn. The guard escorted me through the halls without a single word. Once we got to the front of the gates to the throne room he opened the door and made the announcement of my return. He turned around and then walked past me. "You may now enter, your highness."

As soon as I entered the room, I was ambushed with an embrace. "Luna! I'm so happy you're alright!" Celestia said, squeezing me even more tightly.

Her grip was actually suffocating me, so I decided to gently pull away. "I'm also happy to see thou, sister." I said with a big grin. The force of her embrace actually made the sting in my wings return for a brief moment.

Celestia realized this and took a glance at them. She widened her eyes and gave me a worried look. "Luna, what happened to you?"

Being terribly tired due to the trip, I decided to tell her later so I could take a small rest. I gave a tired smile. "I shall tell thou at dinner."

I spent the hours before dinner inside my bedroom. I couldn't rest nor focus in anything else to pass the time. The only thing that lingered in my mind was the intrigue about Shadow's sudden disappearance.

Some time later, after raising the moon of course, I finally went to the dining room. I wasn't hungry at all, but after my dissapearance it was the least I could do for my sister.

Celestia was waiting for me, already sitting at the end of a stone table full of food and treats. She greeted me with a warm smile as I sat in front of her. "Hello little sister, did you get your rest?"

I forced a light smile and decided to lie so she wouldn't become even more worried. "Yes, Tia. I feel rejuvenated now."

She raised an eyebrow and analyzed me with her purple eyes. "Are you sure?"

I widened the fake grin even more. "But of course, big sister."

She kept staring at me for a moment until she finally broke the gaze and spoke with a look of relief. "Very well, I'm glad." She raised a piece of cake with her magic, she was about to take a bite but suddenly stopped. "Now that you have had your rest, may I know what happened to you?"

I tried to avoid telling her what happened by diminishing it. "Oh, it's not that impotant sister. I wouldn't want to bore thou." I finished with a nervous look and a wide forced grin.

She narrowed her eyes and changed her tone to a scolding one. "Luna, you told me that you would explain to me what happened."

I tried to find an excuse, only managing to stutter. "B-but."

She returned a serious look. "Luna, enough. Tell me what happened right now."

I gave a sigh of defeat and turned to her. "Very well. But only if thou promises not to interrupt."

Tia gave a confussed look and raised a hoof. "I promise."

I started narrating. "It started a while after I left the castle..." I told her the whole story. The atack, the cave, Shadow, everything. There were some parts I wanted to avoid, but she would scold me every time she noticed that I was hiding something. When I finished, she sat still, surely processing what I told her. I prepared for the storm of questions that was about to be released.

She pressed a hoof against her chin. "So... You were atacked by a pack of creatures called timberwolves, a mysterious stallion whose name's Shadow saved you and healed your wounds, then it turned out that he has lived in the Everfree Forest for seven years without seeing any other pony, you two end up becoming friends and finally when the guards found you he disappeared. Am I correct?" Her speed and fluency was something to admire.

I nodded. "Pretty much." I gave a deep a sigh and stared at the table. I was getting worried sick about Shadow, the thought of something bad happening to him sent shivers down my spine.

She raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes. "You're very worried about him, aren't you?"

I fooled around a little with the cuttlery and then replied. "I am. He's the only friend I have, and it feels awful to know that he's still out there all alone."

She gave another warm smile and spoke. "You should look for him."

I certainly didn't expect that. "I know sister bu- WHAT?!" My eyes widened in shock as soon as I realized what she said.

She giggled. "I understand that he means a lot to you. When your wings heal completely I'll let you go there, with an escort this time, to offer him a gift of gratitude that I'll have prepared shortly."

I was happy and utterly puzzled at the same time. My head tilted and I spoke. "A gift?"

She nodded. "What do you say we reward him with his very own place in Ponyville?"

It was a perfect idea, except for a small detail, Shadow's lack of social interaction. "It's a great idea Tia, but I should remind thou that Shadow hast some problems when it comes to interact with other ponies, or at least that's what I suppose since I'm the first one he hast seen in an extremely long time. How dost we know if he'll accept?" The disappointment in my voice was clear as water.

She approached me and placed her hoof on my shoulder. She widened her smile. "Luna, I'm completely certain that he will accept. And about his 'social issues', I know someone who might be able to help with that."

I realized instantly who she was talking about. "Art thou sure that Twilight Sparkle will be able to get him to feel confident?"

Staring right into my eyes she answered. "I'm certain, little sister." She embraced me and then turned around in the direction of her bedroom. "I'll send the message before going to bed." She waved before going in to her room. "Goodnight, sister. Take it easy for tonight."

I waved back and turned to my own bedroom. I closed the door as soon as I entered and then rushed to the balcony to observe the vastness of Everfree Forest, wishing to see any sign that could reassure the safety of my new and only friend. "_We shall meet again soon..."_

* * *

><p><strong>Twilight<strong>

* * *

><p>I was exhausted, but I finally finished that book. "Oh boy, that one was a biggie. But still it was worth it." I rubbed my eyes and yawned.<p>

"_I should take a bath or I'll fall asleep on the floor." _I walked to the bathroom, only to find out that Spike was still inside.

I knocked on the door several times. "SPIKE! You have been in there for two hours by now!"

Spike groaned. "You know I need my two-hour bath to make my scales shine for Rar- I mean, uh... Yeah, to make them shine."

I narrowed my eyes. "Spike, you'll come out, or I'll make you come out."

Instantly the door opened revealing an upset Spike holding a towel around his waist. "Alright, fine. There's no nee- Ugh" He suddenly held a claw on his mouth and the other on his belly and then burped releasing green fire that finally materialized into one letter. "Mail time I guess..."

I took the letter with my magic. My eyes beamed as I confirmed who sent it. "Princess Celestia!" I opened it and started reading.

_"To my faithful student Twilight Sparkle._

_I have a new task for you and your friends. Don't fret, it's not dangerous, but still you should give it your best._

_There's a pony whose name is Shadow Beam that, due to a tragic turn of events, ended up living for 7 years inside of the Everfree Forest._

_He was found by my sister... Well, actually she was the found one. She was atacked by a pack of timberwolves and he saved and healed her._

_Forget about that, I'll tell you the rest of the story later._

_The lack of interaction led him to feel very uneasy around other ponies. I need you and your friend to help him to feel integrated in society once again._

_We're going to get a place for him in Ponyville, when we do I'll notify you so you can meet him._

_For now, I send my regards and best wishes._

_Princess Celestia."_

Spike hopped onto my back and moved my head to the side to see the letter. "What does it say? What do we have to do?"

I grinned while putting the message away. "Basically, nothing right now."

He got down from my back with a puzzled look. "Right now?"

I walked to the front of the bathroom door. "Princess Celestia told me that someone with some kind of social issues will move to Ponyville in a while, and our 'mission' is just helping him to feel alright around ponies."

He crossed his arms. "So... That mean that we don't need to go anywhere, right?"

I lifted my eyebrow. "Yeah, I'll send the letter to the rest of the girls tomorrow, so we're done for today."

He turned around with a pleased look and started leaving. "Off to bed then, goodnight."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Goodnight Spike." I closed the door and proceeded to take a short bath. When I finished drying myself off I went straight to bed. I put out the candle that was by the side of my bed and then laid down.

The thoughts about this new 'mission' invaded my already exhausted mind.

"_I just hope I don't disappoint Celestia..."_


End file.
